In recent years the laptop portable personal computer, or simply "laptop" to which it is generally referred, has become an increasingly popular tool used by executives, salespersons, engineers, students, accountants, teachers, homemakers, lawyers and other business and professional persons. The laptop is very compact and was designed to rest in the user's lap so that the user has a "built-in" place for supporting the laptop when the user is seated. While this "built-in" supporting spot is convenient, it has many drawbacks. For one, the user's legs must be held still in order to keep the laptop from moving around. This is uncomfortable and can be a tiring exercise. Additionally, the user must have good balance to maintain the laptop in a position which can be particularly difficult when the user is using the laptop in conjunction with reading notes, books or other materials, as is often the case.
Other stands have been disclosed such as the one described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,736 which provides a laptop reading and writing stand, yet it suffers from the same problems connected with laptop computers because it rests on the lap of the user. Additionally, stands for computers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,100,098 and 5,357,873; however, since neither of these patents specifically deal with laptops neither solves the above-described problems associated with laptop computers.
Workstations have been designed for laptops as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,830,328, 5,379,893, 5,445,266 and 5,470,041 which generally disclose workstations for supporting a laptop on a permanent desktop or table located in a business or residential environment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,328 also discloses the attachment of a pipe flange or straight coupling to the first plate to allow mounting to a tripod.
The foregoing patents demonstrate that there is a need for a computer stand that is compact, stable, lightweight, foldable, and has adjustable height.